Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has issued a tender inviting bids for 150 electric buses.

The buses should be 12-meter-long, air-conditioned, and compliant with Bus Rapid Transit. The last day for the online submission of technical and price bids is September 30, 2020.

The tender falls under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles-II (FAME-II) program. Prospective bidders must pay an RfP fee of ₹59,179 (~$806) and an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹26.25 million (~$357,265).

The scope of work includes the supply, operation & maintenance (O&M), and development of allied infrastructure on a gross cost contract (GCC) basis.

The operator must provide the complete infrastructure, including the development, supply, and erection of transformers, electrical systems, sub-systems, and the charging infrastructure. They also need to supply the chargers and maintain complete charging infrastructure, including the civil infrastructure, for undertaking preventive and breakdown maintenance. The operator will be responsible for the electricity charging cost of the buses.

The winning bidder must guarantee operations of 225 km per day for each electric bus on a single charge for the first ten years. The contract period could be extended by another two years.

The prospective bidder must be a bus manufacturer registered with the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) under the FAME program. They must have an experience of manufacturing and delivery of at least 25 electric or 80 diesel/CNG buses between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2020, in India or overseas.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) must have a minimum average annual sales turnover of more than ₹1 billion (~$13.6 million) in the last three financial years, along with a positive net worth.

The inspection of the prototype bus will be held 90 days after the Letter of Award (LoA) is issued. The first 75 buses will be delivered within 275 days from the date of LoA, and the last 75 buses will be delivered 365 days from the date of LoA.

Earlier this month, GreenCell Mobility Private Limited (GreenCell Mobility) won the contract for operating 48 air-conditioned electric buses by the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation. In October 2019, the state transport corporation had issued a tender to select bus operators for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of 50 air-conditioned electric buses.

In February 2020, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation invited bids to procure nine-meter 90 electric buses.